The Menu

At holiday time, I used to be the lone midwesterner lobbying two southerners for food preferences from the Prairie. Then our son had the great good fortune to marry a wonderful woman from Ohio. So I have a compadre!

Our menu has been set for days. We're forgetting our quest for healthy eating and indulging in:

Roast Turkey
Dressing
Mashed Potatoes (yeah - the midwesterners won!)
Gravy - Yum
Cornbread Casserole - our newest favorite recipe
Asparagus Casserole - a Guerrant family tradition from Aunt Fairy's cook book
Deviled Eggs
Green Bean Casserole
Salmon for my DIL Suzie
Olives
Sweet Midgies - our son Matthew's favorite pickle
Whole Cranberry Sauce
Lemon-Lime Salad - Matthew's favorite
Virginia Rolls from Great Harvest Bread Company
Stuffing Bread from GHB
Chocolate Pecan Pie - also from GHB
Mother's Pumpkin Pie
Wine

For special meals, I'm usually a purist and want everything made from scratch. But in order to have more time for Matthew and Suzie, I opted to order rolls, bread and a pie from Great Harvest Bread Company. We're lucky to have one just a block away.

Here's the recipe for our favorite new casserole. It can be tweaked easily to suit your taste. I have reduced the oil significantly from the original 1/2 to 2/3 cup called for.

Aunt Linda's Cornbread Casserole

2 cans creamed corn
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 C. oil
One 4-oz. jar pimientos - drained and chopped
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
Minced onion to taste
1 C. or more grated cheddar cheese

Mix together well. Pour into a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, uncovered. Casserole should be done in the center and lightly browned.